Tag Archives: King Alfred
From my blog...
THE LAST KINGDOM 2, Episode 6
ARE YOU SAXON OR DANE? There are numerous plot lines weaving through this series now, and here’s a look at how they develop in this episode. ÆTHELRED vs UHTRED: There is never going to be a bromance between these two. Æthelred … Read More
THE LAST KINGDOM 2, Episode 5
THE DEAD SPEAK Three years have passed since the rescue of Thyra and the banishing of Sigefrid and Erik. Ragnar and Brida are in Dunholm (Durham), Guthred rules at Eoferwic (Jorvik/York), Guthrum/Athelstan) is sitting like an old hen in East … Read More
THE LAST KINGDOM 2, Episode 4
WE ARE HERE TO DO ALFRED’S BIDDING The title I’ve given this episode distills, I think, the moving force – not only in this episode, but in the entire series. Uhtred is the hero of the story, but the larger background … Read More
THE LAST KINGDOM 2, Episode 3
PULL, YOU BASTARDS! Beware! Spoilers ahead, big time. DO NOT read this if you have not seen Episode 3 of Season 2. Even if you’ve read the book, this episode differs enough from the novel that I don’t want to … Read More
THE LAST KINGDOM 2, Episode Two
UHTRED RAGNARSSON IS MINE! Our Uhtred is many things: a Saxon, a sometime-Dane, a pagan, a baptized Christian (well, not really), a canny warrior, a lady’s man (Beocca: ‘even his scars are handsome’), and sometimes a downright fool. Gotta love … Read More
THE LAST KINGDOM HISTORICAL NOTES
Events came at us thick and fast in Episode 1 of Season Two, The Last Kingdom, so I thought I would offer a few historical tidbits. GUTHRED: The 10th century History of St. Cuthbert says that a Dane named Guthred … Read More
THE LAST KINGDOM 2, Episode One
THE PATH NORTH Uhtred is back! The eight episodes of THE LAST KINGDOM Season 2 must cover events in two of Bernard Cornwell’s novels – Lords of the North and Sword Song, so screenwriter Stephen Butchard has a lot of … Read More
What Happened at Bosham Church
What we think of as history is sometimes little more than legend or hearsay or speculation – especially when we look back one thousand years or more. A writer of historical fiction must look at legends as well as facts, … Read More
The Last Kingdom, Episode 8: The Battle of Edington
878 A.D. In the seventh week after Easter King Alfred rode to Ecbryht’s Stone…All those of Somerset came to meet him, and those of Wiltshire and Hampshire…they were glad of his coming. ..He went from that camp…to Edington, and there … Read More
The Last Kingdom, Episode Five: Uhtred vs Ubba
Alternate Title: UHTRED vs UBBA, ODDA 1, ODDA2, ALFRED, LEOFRIC, MILDRITH, OSWALD…oh heck. UHTRED vs EVERYBODY Episode 5 begins with shipwreck and concludes with a very different kind of wreck. In between, our hero Uhtred covers a lot of ground … Read More